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Thursday, December 31, 2009

Watch the entire fireworks in Sydney Australia- Under explosive bursts of crimson, purple and blue, more than 1 million New Year revelers in Sydney got one of the world's biggest parties started Thursday — bidding farewell to the tough year that was 2009 and welcoming a new decade.

As the family-friendly, pre-midnight fireworks show illuminated Australia's largest city, preparations were under way across the world for pyrotechnics, parties and prayers in the final countdown to herald the end of the period dubbed "the Noughties."

The mood of celebrations was tempered in some places by the effects of the financial downturn, which bit hard in 2009, sending economies into recession, causing millions to lose their jobs and home foreclosures to rise dramatically in some countries.

Once in a blue moon there is one on New Year's Eve.
Revelers ringing in 2010 will be treated to a so-called blue moon. According to popular definition, a blue moon is the second full moon in a month. But don't expect it to be blue — the name has nothing to do with the color of our closest celestial neighbor.
The New Year's Eve blue moon will be visible in the United States, Canada, Europe, South America and Africa. For partygoers in Australia and Asia, the full moon does not show up until New Year's Day, making January a blue moon month for them.
However, the Eastern Hemisphere can celebrate with a partial lunar eclipse on New Year's Eve when part of the moon enters the Earth's shadow. The eclipse will not be visible in the Americas.
A full moon occurred on Dec. 2. It will appear again on Thursday in time for the New Year's countdown.
"If you're in Times Square, you'll see the full moon right above you. It's going to be that brilliant," said Jack Horkheimer, director emeritus of the Miami Space Transit Planetarium and host of a weekly astronomy TV show.
A full moon occurs every 29.5 days, and most years have 12. On average, an extra full moon in a month — a blue moon — occurs every 2.5 years. The last time there was a lunar double take was in May 2007. New Year's Eve blue moons are rarer, occurring every 19 years. The last time was in 1990; the next one won't come again until 2028.
Blue moons have no astronomical significance, said Greg Laughlin, an astronomer at the University of California, Santa Cruz.
"'Blue moon' is just a name in the same sense as a 'hunter's moon' or a 'harvest moon,'" Laughlin said in an e-mail.
The popular definition of blue moon came about after a writer for Sky & Telescope magazine in 1946 misinterpreted the Maine Farmer's Almanac and labeled a blue moon as the second full moon in a month. In fact, the almanac defined a blue moon as the third full moon in a season with four full moons, not the usual three.
Though Sky & Telescope corrected the error decades later, the definition caught on. For purists, however, this New Year's Eve full moon doesn't even qualify as a blue moon. It's just the first full moon of the winter season.
In a tongue-in-cheek essay posted on the magazine's Web site this week, senior contributing editor Kelly Beatty wrote: "If skies are clear when I'm out celebrating, I'll take a peek at that brilliant orb as it rises over the Boston skyline to see if it's an icy shade of blue. Or maybe I'll just howl."
___Alicia Chang of The Associated Press wrote this report.

Families typically gather on New Year’s Eve to renew ties, welcome the new year together and partake in a number of traditions all having to do with good fortune, health/longevity and prosperity for a new stage of life.

In addition to a dinner of lamb or roast pork with an extra place set for Ag. Vassili at the table, everyone plays cards or other games of chance to not only pass the time until midnight, but also because it is considered a lucky night whether you win or lose. Many use euro cents to keep the game friendly.

Why a pomegranate? The pomegranate is a fruit with a history going back to ancient times and figures prominently in mythology. It is widely revered as a symbol of regeneration, fertility, prosperity and the inseparable marriage of life and death.

Duality of the pomegranate is best illustrated in the myth about Persephone, who was both daughter of Demeter (goddess of grain, harvest, seasons and fertility) and Demeter’s younger self. Hades, god of the underworld, abducted Persephone and would not let her return to Earth, thus leaving it barren and infertile in Demeter’s depression. When Zeus sent Hermes to retrieve Persephone, she had already eaten six pomegranate seeds, which committed her to return to the underworld for six months each year. The seasons of spring, summer and fall represent the six months when Persephone is happily reunited with Demeter on Earth

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The Rome production of Persephone is directed by Beppe Menegattiwho earlier created a version for Palermo in the 1970's with Carla Fracci in the lead. Fracci, now Artistic Director of the Rome company, is in the new production, this time as Demeter. The myth is rich and complex with a feast of characters including Eumolpus (a narrator and scene setter), Demeter (Persephone's Mother who gives her name to a cult), Persephone (in this production split into two - an actress/narrator and dancer); in the underworld there are Pluto and Mercury and many others too. Narcissus flowers, corn and pomegranates all play their part in a fantastical tale with an appropriate ending in which, for once, no one dies. In short form: the beautiful Persephone is lured from earth to the underworld full of "People without hope, pale, unquiet and sorrowful" whose king is Pluto and who ravishes her. But Mercury helps Persephone see the earth she has left - cold and unhappy, as her mother searches for her, and she returns in triumph and marries only to be drawn back to the underworld each winter to ease the lot of its sad souls. She's a good-natured girl at heart and nowadays would do charity work rather than go on a fun-loving gap year I suspect.

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The Vasilopeta can either be a cake or bread. In our household, we make the cake version. This is a passed down recipe and there's nothing spectacular about this cake. It's a simple cake with a pound cake like texture. In the Greek household, however, this cake is more about tradition mingled with religious symbolism than a dessert.

This cake is usually made on the last day of the year and served right after the stroke of midnight or during New Year's Day. The head of the household lightly passes a knife, three times, in a cross formation, without scoring or cutting the cake, while saying a prayer of thanks for all that has been received in the past year and all that will come in the New Year.

The Vasilopeta is then cut into servings. The first three pieces are offered to: St. Basil, Christ (also known as: "The Zityano" - The Beggar) and The Virgin Mary. The order may vary, depending on the background and origin of the family, but they always come first. The following servings are cut for "The House" (the family's household) and then the immediate family members living in it, beginning with the oldest member and ending with the youngest. Then come the spouses of the children. Some of us also cut a few crumbs for our pets; we really shouldn't, but we do.

As for the coin, it's said that the person who finds it will be the lucky one for the rest of the year. This is superstition; though, it does make for a great scavenger hunt, especially when no one has found the coin and someone pops up and says: "Did you forget to stick the coin into the peta?" Or, even better, the most anxious family member will lift up the peta off the platter and look underneath to see if they can spot the coin. Then of course, everyone turns to the remaining cake to search for it. In our family, as with most Greek families, the Vasilopeta isn't about the cake and coin. It's about stopping, appreciating, as well as being thankful, for what we have: our health and prosperity. Anything else is secondary. Happy New Year.!!

Monday, December 28, 2009

The Fire of Anatolia or Anadolu Ateşi is a Turkish dance group consisting of 120 dancers, several choreographers and other technical staff. The group has performed in more than 60 countries from the USA to China and Japan, in front of an audience of approximately 10 million people altogether[1]. Fire of Anatolia holds two Guinness records, one for fastest dance performance[2] with 241 steps per minute[3] and another for largest audience, 400 000 people in Ereğli, in the Black Sea Region of the country[4]. The head of the group is Mustafa Erdoğan.

The programs they currently perform are named Fire of Anatolia and Dawool, the latter of which is "built on rhythm. It begins with a religious scene, then a romantic duet and continues with drum sessions. We wanted to reflect Istanbul with it, its multiculturalism, the mixture of cultures and religions" (Oktay Keresteci, ballet coreographer)[6] *Wikipedia*

Garbi began her singing career with her younger sister, Liana, as the "Garbi Sisters" when she was just 15 years old and Liana 13. Due to their age, their father was against their work as singers, but he did not want to stand in the way of the promising future that he felt their talent offered them. They are most remembered for the backup vocals they provided at Yannis Floriniotis's performances in the early eighties.

Breaking away from the duo with her sister Liana, Garbi recorded her first solo song "Sain Trope" that quickly became a hit. Her official debut in discography came in 1987, when she appeared as one of the artists on a new compilation album called Ta Deka Dekaria alongside other new singers including Manto, Polina, Sophia Vossou and Laurentis Mahairitsas. In addition to "Sain Trope", contribution also included a duet with Kostas Haritodiplomenos titled "Glyka". With the success of the first album, the second volume was released in 1989 which featured Garbi in two new songs titled "Ah, Afto Mou Aresei" and "Zo Na S'Agapo". These early songs grabbed the attention of Greek music executives, and led her to her first record contract with CBS Records Greece, paving the way for her first studio album in 1989.*wikipedia*http://www.garbofans.gr

Friday, December 25, 2009

Guido Hatzis is a Greek-Australian comic character created by Australian comedians Tony Moclair and Julian Schiller and voiced by Moclair. Guido appeared originally in the context of Schiller and Moclair's radio program "Crud" on the Australian Radio Network Triple M. Several albums have been released in the name of Guido Hatzis, including Do Not Talk Over Me in 1999, Whatever in 2000, and Deported in 2002. Most of Hatzis's comedy involves making prank calls that are usually centred on outrageous claims about his looks and abilities, Greek stereotypes, and extreme rudeness. Moclair appropriated the last name "Hatzis" from friend and sometime producer of the "Crud" program, fellow broadcaster and actor Chris Hatzis; Chris Hatzis, Julian Schiller and Tony Moclair are alumni of the Breakfasters on Melbourne's 3RRR. Chris Hatzis based the character on fellow school friend Paul Catelaris aka "Pauly", a greek guru who migrated to Melbourne from Athens in the late 1980s. *wikipedia*

Thursday, December 24, 2009

Folk rituals of Vagia
The girls of the village walk form one house to another with Vagia, the doll they make the night before and sing the songs of Vagia. They accept treats and go back home and ritually destroy the doll they made while singing eastern songs of the area.
ΚΑΛΑΝΤΑ 1927 KALANTA ΧΡΙΣΤΟΥΓΕΝΝΑ XRISTOYGENNA

Sunday, December 20, 2009

About the film Captain Corelli's Mandolin

The idyllic beauty of Greece's Mediterranean coast has been invaded by Italy, bringing legions of soldiers to the once tranquil, magical island of Kephalonia. Captain Antonio Corelli (played by Nicholas Cage), an officer with an irrepressibly jovial personality and passion for the mandolin, initially alienates a number of the villagers, including Pelagia. The daughter of the village doctor, Pelagia (played by Penelope Cruz) is an educated and strong-willed woman, and while at first offended by the Italian soldier's behavior, she slowly warms to his certain charms as they are forced to share her father's home. When Pelagia's fiancee, a local fisherman, heads off to war, the friendship between Antonio and Pelagia grows even stronger. Her beauty and intelligence have captured his heart, and his fondness for the village's vibrant community causes him to question his reasons for fighting. Antonio becomes a part of the lives of the villagers, but the moment is fleeting. As the war grows ever closer, Antonio and Pelagia are forced to choose between their allegiance to their countries and the love they feel for one another-a love which must overcome tremendous odds, and endure the inevitable sacrifice which accompanies eternal devotion.

Movies don’t only make stars of actors; they can make great advertisements for destinations. Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy had a phenomenal impact on tourism in his native New Zealand, and the Greek island of Cephallonia enjoyed a surge in visitors following the big screen adaptation of bestselling book Captain Corelli’s Mandolin.
Greece looks set to enjoy another tourist boom this summer with the release of Mamma Mia!, the ABBA musical set on a Greek island, and My Life in Ruins, the first feature film granted permission to shoot at the Parthenon. Much of My Life in Ruins was actually filmed in Alicante, Spain, where production costs are cheaper, but the Greek tourist board is hoping movie-goers won’t spot the difference.
After all, Montenegro became hip overnight after Casino Royale, even though the scenes in question were filmed in the Czech Republic.
No matter how cheesy, a movie that features ABBA’s anthems is sure to be a feel-good hit. Mamma Mia! (released on 11 July) stars Meryl Streep as Donna Sheridan, who is forced to confront her wayward past when three ex-lovers show up for her daughter’s wedding on a Greek island. Director Phyllida Lloyd scoured the country by helicopter to find the perfect island locations, finally choosing Skopelos and Skiathos, renowned for their pristine beaches fringed by pine forests. Teenage girls descended on the islands en masse last September, hoping for a glimpse of Colin Firth or Pierce Brosnan. While most of the film’s stars stayed at the swanky Skiathos Palace Hotel overlooking sandy Koukounaries Bay, ABBA’s Benny and Björn holed up on a huge yacht to keep the paparazzi at bay. From cosmopolitan Skiathos, take a short trip by ferry or hydrofoil to sleepier Skopelos. Go for a dip at Kastani beach, where Donna’s beach bar stood. Recapture the film’s romance by climbing the steep steps to Agios Ioannis chapel, where the wedding scene was shot. The Agnanti restaurant (+30 24240 33076, agnanti-rest.gr) in nearby Glossa has been serving inventive cuisine since 1953. The cast and crew partied at the Adrina Beach Hotel taverna (+30 24240 23373, adrina.gr), where the hot dish is spaghetti with lobster. After hours, head for Platanos Jazz Bar (+30 24240 23661) in Skopelos town, where Brosnan enjoyed a beer or two.

Saturday, December 19, 2009

The Next Top Model is a Greek reality television show that forms part of the Top Model series. Greek supermodel Vicky Kaya (Greek: Βίκυ Καγιά) assumes the role of Tyra Banks from the original series as the head of the search as well as a mentor for the contestants.[1] The number of contestants is 17 and the number of applications reached approximately 5000. Many of the applications have been sent in from abroad, which means that some of the contestants are from other countries. The show premiered on 12 October 2009.
The basic premise of the series is a group of young female contestants who live together in a house for several weeks whilst taking part in various challenges, photo shoots and meetings with members of the modeling industry. Normally, one poor-performing contestant is eliminated each week until the last contestant remaining is declared "The Next Top Model" and receives a modeling contract along with other associated prizes. *wikipedia*

Giannis Zouganelis is a successful Greek composer, musician, and comedian, who was born in Athens.

At a pre-school age he started learning Byzantine music with a teacher at the church of St. Nicolas in Athens. During his early school years, he studied guitar and theory of music at the Greek Odium, Athens.

Giannis continued his studies at the National Odium of Greece, where he was first taught the piano, harmony and counterpoint. A determinant at his musical studies was the composer Nick Mamagakis, who taught his orchestration and rhythmics.

In 1975, Giannis won the first composition award for his 'Ten Byzantine Essays' in a competition organized by the Greek Department of Culture, a work of music for small symphony orchestra and mixed chorus.

The Academy of Athens rewarded him with a scholarship, and so Giannis went on to study composition and drama at the Academy of Arts of Munich, from which he graduated with honours. Since 1987, Giannis is emiritus professor at the University of Munich.

Giannis continues to compose music for theatrical shows, cinema, television as well for ballet shows. His first work in discography was in 1972 at the age of fifteen and to present date has released over 50 albums.

Giannis' albums consist of mostly instrumental music or music based on the Ancient Greek culture and is amongst the few Greek composers whose albums have been released worldwide.

Maurine Karagianis (born August 17, 1950) is a Canadianpolitician, currently the New Democratic Party MLA for the riding of Esquimalt-Metchosin in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia.
She was first elected in the 2005 election, garnering almost 50 percent of votes cast and 2,895 more votes than the next closest candidate.[1]
In August 2007, Karagianis was appointed the Official Opposition Critic for the Ministry of Transportation in New Democrat leader Carole James' shadow cabinet. She had previously served as the Official Opposition Critic for the Ministry Children and Family Development, and, prior to that, the Ministry of Small Business and Revenue.
Prior to serving as an MLA, she was elected as a municipal councillor in Esquimalt in 1996, and re-elected in 1999 and again in 2002. She is an entrepreneur, opening her own retail fashion store, operating a wholesale venture and a successful import/export business. She was also a co-founder of the Sunshine Folkfest in Powell River, BC.
Starting in 1998, she served three years with the provincial government as assistant to three NDP cabinet ministers – first in the Social Services ministry and then in Transportation and Highways. She recently ran a consulting company that works with non-profit organizations and First Nations communities to create affordable housing. *wikipedia*

For thousands of years now the Greeks have been known for their hospitality. Evidence for this can be seen in the language; the word for 'foreigner' is 'Xenos' and 'hospitality' is 'filoxenia' which translates into English as 'friend to the foreigner'. Being a seafaring nation the Greek people do not suffer from 'xenophobia' which, ironically although a Greek word, doesn't apply to them! they are always friendly and will go out of their way to help you - so don't hesitate to ask for their assistance if you need to. The majority of Greeks speak English or another European language such as Italian, French or German and, indeed, many speak several of these! Being of a Mediterranean temperament, the Greeks like to talk loud, using extravagant body language. Many times in cafes or restaurants the non-Greek may misunderstand this and think they are fighting. No way! It's just Greeks having a friendly discussion.

So believed ancient the Greek sculptors, and those who would later work in the classical tradition, artists who created statues of beautiful and impressive women with feet whose second toes were longer than their big toes, the so-called “Greek foot” (known more prosaically as Morton’s Toe).

Ellopos Blog publishes notes and comments on the Greek-European culture. It is a service complementary to the main Ellopos site, which publishes lengthy study texts.

A Bridge to Ancient Greece Ancient Greek culture found a supreme refuge inside the Byzantine Walls.

Byzantium saved the Ancient Greek letters and transmitted them to East and West, South and North, to any nation that was able to receive the treasure. As Runciman observes, “For eleven hundred years there had stood on the Bosporous a city where the intellect was admired and the learning and letters of the classical past were studied and preserved. Without the help of Byzantine commentators and scribes there is little that we would know today about the literature of ancient Greece.”
Beyond that, without knowledge of the Byzantine spirit, we can not understand Ancient Greece, since it was precisely the Greeks that decided to be baptised in Christianity, and then formed the Roman Empire to the Christian empire of “Byzantium”. It is contradictory, useless and utopian to try a ‘jump’ to the Greek antiquity, ignoring the very road that Greeks themselves chose to create and follow.

Monday, December 14, 2009

The Slaughter of Chios, Eugene Delacroix
A secret Greek nationalist organisation called the Friendly Society (Filiki Eteria) was formed in Odessa in 1814 (Nicolaos Skoufas, Athanasios Tsakalof and Emmanouil Xanthos). With the support of wealthy Greek exile communities in Britain and the United States, the aid of sympathisers in western Europe and covert assistance from Russia, they planned a rebellion. They secured as the leader of the planned revolt Capodistria, who after leaving the Ionian Islands had become Russian Foreign Minister. On March 25 (now Greek Independence Day) 1821, the Orthodox Metropolitan Germanos of Patras proclaimed the national uprising. Simultaneous risings were planned across Greece, including in Macedonia, Crete and Cyprus. With the initial advantage of surprise, and aided by Ottoman inefficiency, the Greeks succeeded in liberating the Peloponnese and some other areas. The Ottomans soon recovered, and retaliated with great savagery, massacring the Greek population of Chios and other towns. This worked to their disadvantage by provoking further sympathy for the Greeks in western Europe, although the British and French governments suspected that the uprising was a Russian plot to seize Greece and possibly Constantinople from the Ottomans. The Greeks were unable to establish a coherent government in the areas they controlled, and soon fell to fighting among themselves. Inconclusive fighting between Greeks and Ottomans continued until 1825, when the Sultan sent a powerful fleet and army from Egypt to ravage the Aegean islands and the Peloponnese.

Sunday, December 6, 2009

St. Nicholas is important in Greece as the patron saint of sailors. According to Greek tradition, his clothes are drenched with brine, his beard drips with seawater, and his face is covered with perspiration because he has been working hard against the waves to reach sinking ships and rescue them from the angry sea. Greek ships never leave port without some sort of St. Nicholas icon on board. To members of the Eastern Orthodox Church, as are most Greek Christians, Christmas ranks second to Easter in the roster of important holidays. Yet there are a number of unique customs associated with Christmas that are uniquely Greek. On Christmas Eve, village children travel from house to house offering good wishes and singing kalanda, the equivalent of carols. Often the songs are accompanied by small metal triangles and little clay drums. The children are frequently rewarded with sweets and dried fruits.
After 40 days of fasting, the Christmas feast is looked forward to with great anticipation by adults and children alike. Pigs are slaughtered and on almost every table are loaves of christopsomo ("Christ Bread"). This bread is made in large sweet loaves of various shapes and the crusts are engraved and decorated in some way that reflects the family's profession.
Christmas trees are not commonly used in Greece. In almost every home the main symbol of the season is a shallow wooden bowl with a piece of wire is suspended across the rim; from that hangs a sprig of basil wrapped around a wooden cross. A small amount of water is kept in the bowl to keep the basil alive and fresh. Once a day, a family member, usually the mother, dips the cross and basil into some holy water and uses it to sprinkle water in each room of the house. This ritual is believed to keep the Killantzaroi away from the house.
There are a number of beliefs connected with the Killantzaroi, which are a species of goblins or sprites who appear only during the 12-day period from Christmas to the Epiphany (January 6). These creatures are believed to emerge from the center of the earth and to slip into people's house through the chimney. More mischievous than actually evil, the Killantzaroi do things like extinguish fires, ride astride people's backs, braid horses' tails, and sour the milk. To further repel the undesirable sprites, the hearth is kept burning day and night throughout the twelve days.
Gifts are exchanged on St. Basil's Day (January 1). On this day the "renewal of waters" also takes place, a ritual in which all water jugs in the house are emptied and refilled with new "St. Basil's Water." The ceremony is often accompanied by offerings to the naiads, spirits of springs

Dimitris Basis, is a Greek singer musician. He is from the village of Cherso, near the city of Kilkis.
Dimitris Mpasis was born in Stuttgart. His parents lived in Germany for some years. He came to Greece for the first time at the age of eight when his entire family returned to Herso, a small village near the Greek - Macedonian border.
At the age of nine he started chanting the liturgy in the local church and three years later he begun to study Byzantine music. He gained his diploma at the age of seventeen. At the same time he used to sing at many cultural celebrations.
When he was twenty years old just after his first steps in professional singing he was discovered by Stamatis Kraounakis and Warner Music company who immediately offered him a contract. For three continuous seasons he was singing with Alkistis Protopsalti, Stamatis Kraounakis and Lina Nikolakopoulou, and wrote history due to his musical performances under the music director Andreas Voutsinas. His professional debute began with his participation in two of Stamatis Kraounakis works: “Otan Erhonde I Fili mou” where he sang two songs and in the soundtrack of the T.V. series “To Trito Stefani” where he took part in one song. In 1996 he was discovered by Christos Nikolopoulos and he performed live. In 1997 his first album became a reality with the title “Me tin Fora tou Anemou” (music by Christos Nikolopoulos, Kostas Falkonis and lyrics by Christos Papadopoulos). Eight months later the soundtrack of T.V. series “Psithiri Kardias” was in music stores (music by Christos Nikolopoulos and lyrics by Eleni Giannatsoulia).
It was a tremendous success with over 120.000 sales. Dimitris Mpasis’ voice started to be heard not only in Greece but abroad as well. In the next season he worked with Dimitra Galani and Manolis Lidakis and by the end of 1998 his second personal album “Se Anihtous Ouranous” is ready (music by Christos Nikolopoulos and lyrics by Aris Davarakis, Eleni Giannatsoulia).
The winter period of ‘98 – ‘99 was important to Dimitris Mpasis’ career because of his collaboration with Haris Alexiou. In the summer of 1999 he started a series of concerts all over Greece and Cyprus with Yiannis Kotsiras. That same summer he performed with Stavros Xarhakos in a series of concerts with K.O.E.M. (National Orchestra of Greek Music) both in Greece and abroad. Simultaneously he took part in a dedicated concert for Christos Nikolopoulos in the Athens Concert Hall. This concert was also performed again in the Herod Atticus Odeon. In October 1999 he gave a series of concerts in Australia with Irini Haridou. In the winter of 1999 – 2000 we saw him with Eleni Tsaligopoulou. *wikipedia*

Friday, December 4, 2009

Glykeria LIVEGlykeria (born Glykeria Kotsoula)(Greek: Γλυκερία), born 1953, in Agio Pnevma, Serres is a Greek singer active in Greece and Cyprus, while also gaining fame in Israel, France, Turkey and England. Her career has spanned over 30 years and is marked by several multi-platinum releases.
Glykeria began her career in 1974 working in the Athens Plaka music boites and gave performances with well-known artists, singing songs by M. Hadjidakis, M. Theodorakis, M. Loizos and others.
Marking the beginning of the 80's, Glykeria released her first solo album, "Ta Smyrneika", a compillation album with traditional songs from Smyrn.
In 1982 she was selected to represent Greece in the Europalia '82 festival in Brussels, together with Sotiria Bellou, George Dalaras and Margarita Zorbala.
She has sung in concerts in Greece and abroad (Europe, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Cyprus, Israel and Turkey). Due to the successful concerts she gave in Israel she was proclaimed most popular foreign singer; the Mayor of Jerusalem awarded her the golden key of the city (1994). Three albums were released in Israel at the same time, all of them gold in a very short time: Glykeria golden-hits, Far away, Glykeria 14 classics, and her first album in France: Golden hits The voice of Greece.
In 1998 her second album was released in France. She took part in two albums for the American label Putumayo and in compilations released in Europe.
In 1999 she performed two concerts in Tel Aviv with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. A few months later the concerts album was released and, immediately afterwards, Glykeria and the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra was released throughout the world by Sony Classical.
In 2001 she participated in the album Alif of the world-renown musician Omar Faruk Tekbilek

We love this book and so does the rest of the world

The Advertiser, an Australian newspaper, published one of the first reviews of The Alchemist in 1993 saying "of books that I can recommend with the unshakable confidence of having read them and been entranced, impressed, entertained or moved, the universal gift is perhaps a limpid little fable called The Alchemist... In hauntingly spare prose, translated from the Spanish, it follows a young Andalusian shepherd into the desert on his quest for a dream and the fulfilment of his destiny."[19] Since then, the novel has received nearly universal praise, making it to the top spot on best seller lists in 74 countries and winning prestigious awards in Germany and Italy.[4][20][21] It has been called a "charming story," "a brilliant, simple narrative," and "a wonderful tale, a metaphor of life," from people in places as diverse as South Africa, Finland, and Turkey.[22] It has been praised by public figures like Will Smith[23], Russell Crowe[24], and Nobel Prize winner Kenzaburō Ōe[not in citation given]Arash Hejazi the Iranian publisher of Paulo Coelho believes that The Alchemist is exceptional in many cases. He notes that the book has had a 'longer than expected life-cycle... It was not supported by high marketing budgets in the first few years after its publication. It was not written in French or Spanish. It did not enjoy a film tie-in and was not recommended by positive reviews and the media, but it is still selling, only relying on the word of mouth as its main marketing tool.'[25]

Alchemy (Arabic:al-kimia) (Hebrew:אלכימיה al-khimia) is both a philosophy and a practice with an aim of achieving ultimate wisdom as well as immortality, involving the improvement of the alchemist as well as the making of several substances described as possessing unusual properties. The practical aspect of alchemy generated the basics of modern inorganic chemistry, namely concerning procedures, equipment and the identification and use of many current substances.
The fundamental ideas of alchemy are said to have arisen in the ancient Persian Empire.[1] Alchemy has been practiced in Mesopotamia (comprising much of today's Iraq), Egypt, Persia (today's Iran), India, China, Japan, Korea and in ClassicalGreece and Rome, in the Muslim civilizations, and then in Europe up to the 20th century, in a complex network of schools and philosophical systems spanning at least 2500 years.
*wikipedia*

Rosee, Pasqua (fl. 1651–1656), coffee-house keeper, was probably born into the ethnic Greek community in Ragusa, Sicily, in the early seventeenth century. By 1651 Rosee had moved to Smyrna in the Ottoman empire, where he made the acquaintance of Daniel Edwards, an English Levant merchant who had acquired a taste for coffee. As a non-Muslim Levantine, Rosee was well placed to serve as an intermediary between English merchants and the Ottoman Turks, and it is likely that he began to work for Edwards in this capacity in Smyrna.
Edwards left Smyrna in the latter part of 1651, perhaps to escape an outbreak of the plague in that city in September, and he returned to London with Rosee in his service. Henceforth Rosee was responsible for preparing and serving coffee to Edwards and his household. Edwards's household was located in Walbrook ward in the City of London. Here Rosee served ‘two or three dishes’ of coffee ‘at a time twice or thrice a day’ (Houghton, 312). The popularity of the novel drink among Edwards's friends and acquaintances was such that it became impractical to have Rosee serve it in a private house, so Edwards helped Rosee to establish his own business selling coffee to the public from a shed in the churchyard in the parish of St Michael Cornhill. Despite its inauspicious building, Rosee's coffee house was distinguished for its customers by a sign bearing his own head. This was the first coffee house in London. It is likely that Rosee's London coffee house was opened in 1652 as John Aubrey asserted. However, conclusive archival evidence of Rosee's coffee house does not turn up until mid-1656, when parish registers record Rosee's trading partnership with Christopher Bowman in St Michael's Alley. The first coffee house in England was probably established in Oxford a few years earlier in 1650 by a Jewish entrepreneur named Jacob who opened a coffee house at the sign of the Angel in the parish of St Peter-in-the-East.

Traditional Greek dancing is a fast-paced, aerobic workout that can burn hundreds of calories per hour. Greek dancing typically involves jumping, skipping, fast-paced walking and even light jogging. The entire body is engaged in calorie-burning routines that are simple to learn and enjoy!

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

One of the most recently discovered heavenly bodies is a planetoid named Chiron. Although there are differences of opinion over the actual classification of this body (some claim it's a comet or an asteroid), its power is widely acknowledged. It was first sighted in 1977 on its trek between Saturn and Uranus.

The Planet was named after Chiron, the Centaur (see Sagittarius). In Greek Mythology, Chiron's mother was a water-nymph who, while trying to run from Zeus' amorous overtures, turned herself into a horse. She did not escape, however, and Zeus impregnated her. When she gave birth, she was shocked to see that her newborn was half horse, half boy. The mother was so terrified that she prayed to the gods to be changed into a tree. Her wish was granted. Thus, both of Chiron's parents abandoned him. Instead of dwelling on that, though, he became a skilled teacher and healer. One day, while he was handing a poisoned arrow to a student, it dropped and pierced his leg. Since his father was a god, he was immortal, so he could not die. In terrible pain, he prayed to the gods to let him die. They, in gratitude for his teachings, let him out of his misery and placed him in the sky.

Chiron is the wounded healer. This Planetoid is for everyone who, rather than giving in to despair amid their own suffering, reaches out so others will not have to experience the pain they've felt. Many people who have had a painful childhood grow up to be psychiatrists or therapists so that they can help other people get through the same things that hurt them. Parents who have lost children to drunk drivers go on to form support groups so that other parents know they are not alone. These people feel the influence of charitable Chiron. It can be healing for a person to help others cope with a pain that they themselves have lived through.

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